Bannock County public information officer seeks jump from grade 10 to 15, outlines FY26 budget changes

Emma Iannacone, Bannock County public information officer, asked the Board of County Commissioners to reclassify the county’s public information officer position from grade 10 to grade 15 and outlined several proposed changes to her FY26 operating and B budgets.

Iannacone told commissioners she based the requested grade increase on salary data for public information officers in Idaho and on comparable positions in Pocatello and Idaho Falls. "The median annual salary for a PIO in Idaho is about $70,800 a year," she said, adding that she adjusted her request to reflect lower local cost-of-living differences from Ada County.

Iannacone described professional credentials and regional work supporting the request. She said she received the Advanced Public Information Officer credential through FEMA and participates in a regional PIO group that meets quarterly. She also said she has joined the Idaho Public Information Emergency Response Team and has responded to incidents outside the county, citing a deployment to North Carolina for Hurricane Helene as an experience that improved her emergency communications skills.

On budget specifics, Iannacone described relatively small operating and B-budget requests and several reallocations. She said the county’s internship subsidy remains $5,000 (operating line 11010940800) and that operating supplies for event candy and refreshments remain $2,500. For subscriptions and digital tools she requested $4,000. She said she increased the cell-phone allowance to $570 to reflect current billing.

She said she reduced photography from $2,500 to $500 and proposed moving $2,000 of that photography budget to the event center budget because the bulk of those funds are used to pay photographers for concert and event photos. Iannacone also lowered professional services from $6,500 to $5,000 and said she hoped to transfer $1,500 of marketing spending to Human Resources for recruitment materials; she said she had discussed that transfer with Matthew (last name not specified).

Iannacone said the county email list has grown to nearly 2,500 contacts, which will raise the county’s Constant Contact subscription to about $1,000 annually. She described reducing anticipated travel for FY26 while keeping education funding to continue training, including virtual opportunities.

Commissioners did not record a decision on the grade change during the session. A commissioner asked about the email list during the discussion, saying, "What's our email list up to now?" Iannacone replied that the list is "very close to 2,500 contacts."

The presentation concluded without a formal vote recorded in the transcript. The commissioners noted the week’s budget recap meeting was moved to Thursday.

The remarks occurred during the board’s budget meeting; no ordinance, statute, or formal personnel action was enacted or recorded in the transcript provided.